How does political engagement on social media impact psychological well-being? examining the mediating role of social capital and perceived social support

Abstract

This study examines how individuals’ political engagement on social media platforms could impact their psychological well-being. We focus on two possible indirect paths through bonding and bridging social capital. By testing a serial mediation model with two parallel paths, we found that political engagement on social media contributes to both bonding and bridging social capital, which further increases perceived social support and then improves psychological well-being. This study also examines the moderating role of network heterogeneity in the serial mediation model and documents that the indirect effect through bridging social capital and perceived social support is conditionally affected by network heterogeneity. A higher level of network heterogeneity strengthens the path from political engagement on social media to bridging social capital.